Former President Donald Trump's recent confusion regarding a helicopter ride with a Black politician has once again brought attention to the question of his mental fitness. During a press conference on Thursday, Trump criticized Vice President Kamala Harris and recounted an emergency landing experience in a helicopter with former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, whom he claimed to know well. However, Brown swiftly denied Trump's account, stating that he had never been in a helicopter with the former president.

This incident has raised eyebrows, as there had been no prior reports of such an occurrence involving Trump and the 90-year-old Willie Brown. Some news outlets speculated that Trump may have mistaken Brown for former California Governor Jerry Brown, who is white. In 2018, Trump had indeed flown in a helicopter with Jerry Brown and now-Governor Gavin Newsom to assess wildfire damage in Paradise. However, both Brown and Newsom's teams denied any endangerment during that flight, and there was no discussion of Kamala Harris.

Adding to the confusion, former Los Angeles City Council member and state senator Nate Holden came forward on Friday to claim that he had actually been in a helicopter with Trump during an emergency landing in the 1990s. Holden suggested that Trump might have mistaken him for Willie Brown. According to Barbara Res, an executive from Trump's company who was also aboard the helicopter, it was Trump who was "scared s---less" during the incident, contrary to his joking assertion that Holden was terrified.

This controversy has once again put a spotlight on the concerns about Trump's mental acuity. At 78 years old, he now faces similar criticisms about his age and cognitive abilities that he once targeted at now-President Joe Biden, who is 81. Trump's lengthy and misleading press conference on Thursday did little to alleviate these concerns, with critics pointing to his rambling and inconsistent statements.

Despite the denial from Willie Brown and the contradicting account from Nate Holden, Trump continues to assert that he remembers correctly who was with him in the helicopter. He claimed to have flight records to support his claim, although he did not produce them during the interview with The New York Times. Trump even threatened to sue the newspaper for questioning his recollection. The Trump campaign has not responded to requests for comment.

This renewed controversy serves as a reminder that the question of Trump's mental fitness may persist long after his presidency. As the public continues to scrutinize his cognitive abilities, it remains to be seen whether further evidence will clarify the truth behind the conflicting accounts of the helicopter ride incident.